But there are so many books I want to read. My "to-read" list constantly grows faster than my "recently-read" list (and right now, I'm still buying new books faster than I read them). So it's hard for me to justify spending time rereading something when there are so many new books waiting to be read.
(I have never reread a single one of the Harry Potter books. :o Sometimes I'll skim one of them looking for some canon detail, but I read the entire series all at once, and have never gone back to reread them. I got what I wanted from them the first time.)
2. Nowadays, I read very little fan fiction. Mostly just very short stories that catch my eye, or a few ongoing ones where the author is still coming out with new chapters and it only requires an investment of half an hour every couple of weeks to keep up with the story. I know, horrible, right, 'cause I want everyone to read my fan fiction! :D
3. I'm starting to feel a bit unread. There are lots and lots of classics on every "Books you must read before you die" list that I have never read. I make no apologies for being a lover of fantasy and science fiction, so most of what I read is in that category, but I need to branch out more. It's been quite a while since I've read fiction outside the genre. I'm thinking of taking on War & Peace.
4. Getting an ereader has increased the amount of reading I do. Ebooks cost as much or more than paperbacks, more often than not, but it's so easy to type in a credit card number and download. Having a little paperback-sized device with 300 books on it means never, ever being without anything to read again.
5. Audiobooks on an iPod are also a wonderful thing. For the gym, for driving, for shopping. They turn spare hours that I can't spend actually reading into an average of 1-2 more books read per month.
6. Until I graduated college, I probably read at least 3-4 books per week. Then I went through a period of quite a few years where I doubt I read more than half a dozen in a year. What a lot of wasted time! I only began seriously resuming my reading habit last year.
6. What Stephen King says about needing to read a lot in order to write better is absolutely true. I was blown away when he said in On Writing that he reads 70-80 books a year, considering sometimes it seems like he writes that many.
7. I am easily distracted, and the internet has not helped. I sit down to write, and soon I'm reading blogs or going to critique someone else's writing, because it's easier than cranking out more writing of my own. I justify having a browser open because I want to look up details or names and things while I'm writing, but pretty soon I've forgotten what it was I wanted to look up while I'm following the most recent author to make an ass of herself ranting about fan fiction.
8. I have started on AQ book four, but I haven't gotten far. I'm writing something else simultaneously. We'll see how that works, since usually I try to finish one thing at a time. I have no ETA for AQATSA, but any time before the end of next year is probably optimistic.
9. My mother reads my fan fiction. This is only a little bit embarrassing. I don't think she reads my LJ regularly, but I know she's seen it. Hi, Mom! Happy Mother's Day!